


Familiar Contact

by timeless_alice



Category: The Transformers (IDW Generation One), Transformers - All Media Types
Genre: Established Relationship, Fluff, M/M, Sleepy Cuddles
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-01
Updated: 2019-02-01
Packaged: 2019-10-20 14:35:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,330
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17624234
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/timeless_alice/pseuds/timeless_alice
Summary: Starscream and Wheeljack talk and cuddle after work.Commissioned fic, posted with permission





	Familiar Contact

It was not so much that Wheeljack and Starscream had radically different schedules - though, that was certainly part of it. It was more a matter of who could detangle themselves from work or projects first, before they stumbled to their shared apartment at some obscene hour of the morning. Starscream just so happened to be better at it than Wheeljack; removing himself from political debate was a skill he’d mastered over the years.

It was the rare occasion that Wheeljack beat Starscream to their shared apartment, but there he was. The work for the day had been completed, for the most part - there were always things to tweak, things to perfect - but Wheeljack had been shooed out by one of the colonists before he could linger too long. He left with very little argument, especially when other scientists heard his protestations and joined in with her recommendation, his reputation having proceeded him.

Evening had just begun to settle on the rebuilt Iacon, the skies beginning to darken and the lights of the city flickering on to welcome the nightlife. He took it in, still becoming used to the fact that the city seemed to be alive, even after months of being online since his near death experience.

He was still taking in a lot of things about the situation, really.

He stared out the apartment’s living room window, one that overlooked one of the main streets below, as he ran a cloth between the joints of his fingers, to dislodge whatever grease and oil that had seen fit to seep in between his seams. His fins pulsed a soft blue light as his engine gently thrummed, body shifting into something mechanical, more instinct than anything else. Normally, he wouldn’t mind the stains that could stick to his plating for days, but the war was over and he had time to mind such things. And, on top of that, he could consider Starscream something of a bad influence: the flier certainly enjoyed taking his time to preen, which meant all kinds of products scattered around their shared space, and often scoffed (verging on a sneer, though he was trying to tone that sort of thing down) at Wheeljack’s lack of care.

(“Doesn’t it ever…stick?” he’d asked once, sounding more than a little mortified at the idea. He mimed having difficulty flexing his hand, as if to better illustrate his point.

Wheeljack just shrugged. “Not if you’re careful.”)

He was just bout to deposit the rag and trade it for a clean one to continue his work, when he heard the door to the apartment slide open. Wheeljack paused in his movements, and sent a glance over his shoulder for the briefest of moments, calling out a greeting to Starscream. He could hear Starscream say something in response, but it was the grumbling kind of complaint that was often accompanied by long days with diplomats from cultures vastly different from what they were used to, so Wheeljack wasn’t able to make out anything that resembled words.

Then, there were footsteps coming his way. Soft treads that still carried the complete weight of someone exhausted of dealing with the bureaucracy of the rebuilding planet. Wheeljack did not turn around to greet Starscream, merely continued with what he was doing. The footsteps grew louder and louder still, until he could hear the whirring of frustrated fans; he could almost imagine the grinding of too tense gears under a deceptively relaxed frame. But the carefully kept and polished arms draped around his shoulders bore no tension, even under the plating. Starscream hummed softly in his ear, his engine revving ever so slightly to match the sound; it rattled pleasantly in Wheeljack’s chest, and the sound held, buried underneath and almost smothered by all the annoyance, a pleased satisfaction.

“How were the meetings?” Wheeljack asked, after a moment of Starscream hovering by his ear. Almost nuzzling him, but not quite touching his face.

“Awful,” was the reply. The sneer in his voice quelled Wheeljack’s impulse to push into his loose embrace, if only a little. “You should hear some of these people.”

“I’ve met Windblade. She ain’t that bad.”

Starscream drew away, and Wheeljack tried to ignore the twinge of longing in his spark, so his hands were planted against Wheeljack’s shoulders. He let out a low scoff, and Wheeljack finally turned to him. At having to readjust his grip, Starscream’s wings - already slanting upwards with the tension of his frustration - twitched, just once.

“Not her,” he said. He rolled his eyes, with added rolling of his head on his neck to emphasize exasperation. Wheeljack had to bite back a laugh. “Everyone else,” Starscream went on. “But-”

Sensing an oncoming list of complaints against the Cityspeaker, Wheeljack reached up to cover one of Starscream’s hands with his own. Starscream glanced down at his hand, trailing up his arm to where some stains still lingered, then he looked back up at Wheeljack with a low huff.

“Fine,” he said, having caught the meaning. “I don’t want to talk about it, anyway.” He withdrew his hand, and tapped a finger under one of Wheeljack’s fins. He smirked, lips parting just enough to show off his fangs, as he leaned in a little closer, a new victory at hand. “I’m going to clean up. And once you finish that, I expect to see you in bed.” Starscream pressed his forehead to Wheeljack’s for just a moment, before drawing away to place a ghost of a kiss on Wheeljack’s forehead.

As he stalked off towards the shower, Starscream didn’t even bother to cast a look over his shoulder as he said, “And don’t you dare get a drop on anything.”

There was a thinly veiled threat of murder in his words, and Wheeljack supposed he could appreciate Starscream making an effort at being overt about it.

It took some time to get the last of the stains off his plating, but he was sure that even with the shower he had taken earlier there were still things caked into his joints. There always were. Still, he tossed the rag he had been using to the side and stood to make his way to the bedroom, where Starscream was already making himself comfortable. He watched for a moment, in the doorway, as Starscream stretched out wings that hadn’t seen flight in a few days before tucking them close to himself so he could better lie down.

“Are you coming or not?” he asked, giving a small smirk as he fluttered his wings in invitation.

At that, Wheeljack rolled his eyes, but stepped into the room and towards the bed. He perched on the edge of it beside Starscream, who took no time in draping himself across Wheeljack’s shoulders. Face carefully positioned to avoid his fins, Starscream nuzzled against him, a showing of affection he may not have performed had he been more awake. Or, he thought with an amused rumbling of his engine, if there wasn’t anyone else around to see it.

He nuzzled back, engine transitioning to a deep purr. And he thought, in some corner of his mind, about how he never in a million years thought he’d be in a place like this. But he also never thought Starscream would save his life.

“I’m tired,” Starscream mumbled, pulling Wheeljack close. He placed a light kiss on Wheeljack’s cheek.

“I can tell,” Wheeljack replied.

They rearranged themselves, with Wheeljack curled into himself, kibble tucked and folded close to his back, as Starscream wrapped his arms around his chest to hold him close. Wheeljack leaned back against him, and Starscream buried his face into Wheeljack’s neck. The room fell into silence as neither of them spoke, allowing the rumbling of their harmonious purrs to take over. It was at that point, a matter of comfort and enjoying company, discussion could wait for the morning.

It wasn’t long before even their purrs dwindled into nothing, as sleep over took them.

**Author's Note:**

> A commissioned fic for bioluminosity :D
> 
> find me on tumblr at timelessmulder


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